Canada is adding another $15 million to its humanitarian aid package for Lebanon following an escalation in the conflict between Israel and the Lebanon-based Hezbollah militant group.
International Development Minister Ahmed Hussen says the new money will help Canadian and international aid groups provide food, water, emergency health care and other assistance in Lebanon, although exact allocations have not yet been determined.
“This conflict is having a terrible impact on civilians in Lebanon and elsewhere,” Hussen said at a press conference.
“To date, Canada has committed $25 million to support the humanitarian response to help the most vulnerable civilians in Lebanon.”
The $15 million in new funding comes on top of the $10 million in aid announced by Hussen at the end of September.
He said $6 million of the previously announced money will be split between the Red Cross and the Humanitarian Coalition to match up to $3 million each in donations made to their individual Lebanon aid campaigns.
Additionally, $4 million will be split between the United Nations aid agency for Palestinian refugees and the World Food Program.
Canada is also sending humanitarian aid items from its stockpiles, including 5,000 blankets and 1,000 hygiene kits.
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Hussen said more than 2,000 people have been killed in Lebanon, including two Canadians, and thousands of civilians have been injured.
The conflict has put significant pressure on humanitarian organizations on the ground, he said.
Food, medicine, shelter materials and emergency healthcare are urgently needed in Lebanon, Hussen said.
Global Affairs Canada says more than 1,150 Canadians, permanent residents and their immediate families have already left Lebanon on government-chartered flights. It says it also helped around 250 people from other countries to leave Lebanon.
The agency says it now receives fewer than 100 new requests per day for information about departure options, and all eligible travelers have received departure offers, have departed or may depart in the next few days.
On Monday and Tuesday, Global Affairs Canada says 205 people left Lebanon.
As of October 8, there were more than 25,000 Canadians registered as being in Lebanon, but the government said the real number could be higher because registration is voluntary. Foreign Affairs Minister Mélanie Joly previously said there are about 45,000 Canadians in the country.
On Wednesday, Hussen reiterated calls for Canadians to leave Lebanon.
A spokesperson for Immigration Minister Marc Miller said right now the focus is on helping Canadian citizens and permanent residents, as well as their spouses with children, obtain the documents they need to travel.
“Additionally, we are prioritizing the processing of certain types of family-class permanent resident applications,” spokeswoman Renée Proctor said in an emailed statement.
